Stephen A Smith defends Don Lemon, says arrest violates First Amendment

Stephen A. Smith came to the defence of chap writer Don Lemon, who was arrested this week.

Lemon was charged successful Los Angeles Friday day connected allegations of conspiring to interruption someone’s law rights and alleged FACE Act violations.

Lemon’s apprehension comes much than a week aft helium joined a radical of anti-ICE protesters who interrupted a religion work astatine Cities Church successful St. Paul, Minnesota, wherever an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authoritative serves arsenic a pastor. 

The radical of protesters chanted "ICE out," interrupting the service, according to video footage.

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Stephen A. Smith and Don Lemon  (Getty Images)

Lemon, an autarkic journalist, said helium had been attending the objection arsenic a reporter, not arsenic a protester. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Lemon remarked, "I’m conscionable present photographing, I’m not portion of the group. … I’m a journalist."

The ESPN big said since Lemon was determination arsenic a subordinate of the press, his apprehension violates the First Amendment.

"Whether you similar it oregon not, Don Lemon is simply a subordinate of the press. Don Lemon has been successful journalism for 30 years. Don Lemon worked astatine CNN for 17 years. And conscionable due to the fact that you don’t person a circumstantial enactment that you’re moving for, that’s wherever the connection independency comes from. It doesn’t mean that your journalism credentials are stripped," Smith said. "Not erstwhile you’ve been doing it for decades similar him. 

Don Lemon livestreamed left-wing agitators who stormed St. Paul's Cities Church nether the suspicion that its pastor had collaborated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)

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"This is consecutive BS what he’s going through. I’m a subordinate of the property too. And ain’t nary mode successful hellhole anyone successful the tract of journalism shouldn’t beryllium supporting Don Lemon today. And that’s including anyone connected the right. Anybody successful journalism.

"I’m not saying it was wise, I’m not saying I would person done it. I’m not saying helium should person walked into a religion to bash interviews and worldly similar that for a mates of minutes. But it don’t warrant this. You enactment this, you don’t enactment the First Amendment. You don’t enactment state of the press."

Lemon has hired Hunter Biden's attorney, Abbe Lowell. Lowell said Friday that Lemon had been attending the objection successful a reporting capableness and not arsenic a demonstrator. 

"Don Lemon was taken into custody by national agents past nighttime successful Los Angeles, wherever helium was covering the Grammy Awards," Lowell said successful a statement.

"Don has been a writer for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected enactment successful Minneapolis was nary antithetic than what helium has ever done." 

Lemon's apprehension comes arsenic Minnesota has emerged arsenic a flashpoint for migration protesters successful caller weeks, including successful the aftermath of the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Don Lemon arrives astatine THR's Empowerment successful Entertainment Gala astatine Milk Studios April 30, 2019, successful Los Angeles.  (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

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President Donald Trump earlier this week signaled that the medication is consenting to "de-escalate" tensions successful Minnesota, though further details connected that process stay unclear.

Fox News' Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.

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